But I imagine how they further ioyne together in petition and say Lord seeing we are cast out of thy presence and accursed yet giue vs some resting place to this he answereth into the fire Yet Lord say they let vs speak once more though we are to 1. Depart 2. Cursed 3. Into fire and all these thinges come vppon vs yet Quousque Domine how long shall these punishments be vpon vs Truely this their end shall bee without end the worme dyeth not and the fire neuer goeth out all the waters of the South cannot quench this fire therefore the nature of this fire is set downe in the soote of the sentence euerlasting fire Yet it were some refection like the droppe of water the Purple Glution called for to coole his flaming tongue that they might haue anye companion to comforte them but they shall haue no better friendes then the Fiendes the black Guard of Deuils their tormentors shall associate them and this is the binding and winding vp of all in these wordes prepared for the Deuill and his Angells Yet further to worke vppon these wordes that they may better worke in our soules wee will diue more deepely into euerie circumstance But to the vnfolding of these misteries to the full we had néede of a damned Doctor out of another world that might speake with a feeling to giue vs more feeling such a one as the Glutton entreated of Abraham might be sent out of Hell to forewarne his Bretheren For albeit the scripture is Schoolemaster sufficient as Abraham tolde Diues saying They haue Moses and the Prophets Yet no Preacher is more pleasing to those that are towards hell then one that commeth from hell according to this surioynder of that damned Epicure Nay father Abraham but if one come vnto them from the dead they will amend their liues How is it possible that a peece of Timber that taketh vp the roome of a whole house should be drawne out of the little wicket and Portall doore of that house Heere are so manie circumstances of wonder in this Iudiciall sentence which so fill all our sences and amaze them as out of the narrow doores of any mans â—â—pes they cannot in their full bignesse bee deliuered vnto you For heere the discension 2. Malediction 3. Exustion and 4. their eternall duration are to be spoken of vnto which the damned shall be deliuered vp Oh departure Cursse fire eternall fire formidable to heare but intollerable to indure We will take them as they come to the hand and as the hande of the Scripture layeth them out The first word Depart striketh the hearers dead It is a plague of all plagues and the verie bottome of the â—ioll of gods wrath to be driuen from God Caâ—n tooke this inflicted punishmeÌ„t so heauily as he thought nothing could be added more vnto it wherefore he said to God Behold thou hast cast me out this day from the earth and from thy face shall I bee hid and shall be a vagabond and runnagate in the earth whose euer findeth me shall slay me that is to say death the vpshot of miserie shall come vpon me Absalon of the two thought it the best choice rather to die then to bee in that disgrace with his Father as not to see his face and so hee tolde Ioab plainelye saying Let mee see the Kinges face and if there bee anye trespasse in mee let him kill mee As in the presence of God as saith the royall Prophet Is the fulnesse of ioy and at his right hand are aboundance of pleasures for euer more So when anye depart from God or God departeth from him all misfortnne and miserie doth fall vpon him If a King keepeth Court in a Countrye Towne all the Countrye is intitched by his comming and empourished againe by his departure So when God is among vs wee are rich and wealthye men and when hée leaueth vs a poore and woefull estate sâ—ndeth vs. The more the Sunne is with vs there is more plentie among vs and with the absence thereof is peâ—â—urye therefore the Summer season is the fruitefull season â—euen the Sunne is of moste power and the winter time is the â—â—ren and deade time when the Sunne is weakest The more 〈◊〉 Sunne-shine of Gods presence is vppon vs the more fruitfull we are in euerie good worke but when this decayeth all decayeth with it What a hard thing therefore it is for anye to departe from the liuing God from his sweete Sauiour Christ who is the life hope sollace saluation the beginning and end of all thinges in whome are all things But thou for a short sinfull pleasure bringest this horrible euill vpon thee and makest thy selfe an aliant from the Israel of God a stranger and bannished man from the heauenly Hierusalem If the Apostles for that little while that Châ—ist tolde them hée was to bee absent from them they wereâ—o sadde and sorrowful as expouading vnto them these vis wordes A little while and ye shall not see mee and againe A little while and yee shall see me he saide ye shall weepe and lament and measureth their mourning by the mourning of a woman in her trauell In what case shalt thou be thou accursed sinner when not for a white but for all eternitie thou shalt bee shâ—t from the sight of God If Peter to whome Christ said If I wash thee not thou shalt haue no part with me was so loath to part with Christ as he saide Lord not my feet onely but also the haÌ„ds the head How shall it be with the wicked who shall bee put away from God without hope of seeing his sweete face any more The name of Father in the entrie of the sentence read ouer the godlye omitted in the tenor of Iudgement against the wicked hath good consideration For in the saying to the Godlie Come ye blessed of my Father and absolutely saying to the damned Goe ye curssed It is to insinuate that the blessing of happinesse is his fatherly goodnes and not of mans worthinesse that eternall life is of the father of lightes Of the other side that damnation is not of the Father but of our follie according to this sentence of Oseas Thy destruction O Israel is of thy selfe but thy saluation is of me That the Godly are saued it is of grace that the wicked perrish it is of â—â—nne Let no man therefore commence complaint against God that hee is cruell for hee carrieth that which condemneth him about him as naturally sinfull God is the author of all that is good it proceeâ—eth from our corrupt natures whatsoeuer is euill In diuiding this truth aright in this sorte we shall walke with an euen foole neyther giuing to our selues that which is Gods or to God that which is onely ours Nâ—ither is the learning of Gods predestination laide down by 〈◊〉 which teâ—cheth that God in his free and righteous counsell eâ—eâ—â—een some
shall not escape Wherefore the vncertaine suddaines of the worldes end is effectuall to dispell desidiousnes and to stirre vs vp to watchfulnes to liue as if the present day were the last and to make our bookes euen as if out of hand God would keepe his Audit among vs and take a streight account of vs. Omnem crede diem tibâ— diluxisse suâ—remum Thinke euery day the last that heere abode thou hast A Poet spake it and euery Christian may well repeat it It thou were called to a table furnished with fiftie or thrée score platters of good meate sâ—uing onely that deâ—dly poison is in one of those chargers and thou art toâ—oe so â—â—uch before but art â—ot certified in which of them it is Doubtlesse in the tender regarde which thou hast of thâ— liâ—â— thou wouldest mistrust euerie diâ—h and forbeare all together least in that which thou tastest thou shouldest be taken It is thus with thee thou hast heere fiftie or thrée scoâ—e yeares to liue and in one of those death shall certainely seaze on thee and thou knowest not in which of them hee will attach thee wherefore doubt euerie one I aduise thee and looke circumspectly aboâ—t thee Seeing our pater patria and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are in heauen we are Pilgrims and Trauailers vpon earth as al our Fathers were and we haue a â—ourney to goe namely to Ierusalem a Citie whose builder and workeman is God and a swift Horse wee haue to carrie vs thether let vs gird vp our reynes put our Sandols about our feet and prepare for the voyage What man knowing that hee is to liue in England will purchase and build in Spaine But such fooles are wee looking to liue in heauen wee consume our selues with care how to liue heere in earth I doe not impartinently degresse from the matter in putting two endes together of the world and mans life For the same consideration is to be had of them both there being such a kinde Simpathye and affâ—nite betweene them For death in Scripture is called the way of all flesh and the common ineuitable condition of death is imposed vpon all But there is nothing more certaine then the vncertaintie thereof as daily proofe teacheth Iob his Sonnes and Daughters when they were feastingÌ„ in their elder Brothers house little thought that death was so nie them in a whirl-wind which threwe the foure corners of the house ouer them When Elah was drinking in his Stewards house in his capable Goblets eueâ— vnâ—o drunkennes he did not imagine there to be done to death by Zimri Did Babilon was bare the title of the Ladie of the kingdomes and was called Tender and Delicate who presumed of herselfe that shee was like Mount Syon not to be remooued and therefore said I shall bee a Ladie for euer I am and none else I shal not sit as a Widdow neither shall knowe the losse of Children Did she I say that thus swelled with pride dreame that this sentence should so soone haue beene reade ouer heâ— Thine end is come wherefore to such as sayâ—â— Isaâ—ah Come I wil bring wine we will fill our selues with strong drinke to morrowe shall bee as this day and much more which 〈◊〉 but the merrie madnesse of one houre Iâ—â—nes remooueth thâ—◠〈◊〉 from their eies that blindeth them and loâ—teth them see the nice and â—ickle est ate wherein they stand thus censuring their follie Go to now ye that say To day or tomorrow we will goe into such a Citie and continue there a yeare and buy and sell and get gaine and yet cannot tell what shall be tomorrow For what is your life It is euen a vapour that appeareth for a little time and afterward vanisheth away No glasse or pitcheâ— of earth is more brickle then the body oâ— man as being nothing else but a house of clay whose foundation is the dust For a noysome sauour an infected ayre a day little more then ordinarily hotter some what a larger supper excessiue either sorrow or pleasure is as it were a blowe of a hammer that knocketh the sides of tâ—is fraile vessell together A little labour cracketh some a little loâ—e othersome vnkindnesse is some mans coroâ—iue and his pleasant wine is his â—o This man complaineth of head-ache with the Sunamites sonne that man hath conâ—ulsion in his bowels with Antiochus A third man crieth out of the goute in his legges with Asa Some perish through peâ—utie as the sonneâ— of Ierusalem and other some are slaine surfetted through satietie as the Sodomâ—tes many are dispatched by violent death many kindâ— of wayes some in their cradle as the Babes of Bethlehem some in their Parlar as Eglon. some in the field as Saul some in their bed as Isbosheth some betweene the Porch and the Altar as Zenacharib some at the very hornes of the Altar as Duke Ioab some by water as Pharaoh and his Princes of Egypt some by fire from heauen as the Coâ—onels with their fifties some by fiâ—e from the earth as Zâ—mri some by yâ— rupture and opening of the earth as DathaÌ„ and his complices some by winde as lobs sonnes and daughters some by dogges as Iesabel some by wormes as Herod some by Lions as the disobedient man of God some by Beares as the gracelesse children that mocked the Prophet some by the Gallowes as Haman some by a Gâ—at as Pope Adrian the fourth some by a haire in their 〈◊〉 as a certaine Roâ— an Fabius the Senator some by the stone of a Râ—â—sâ—n as Anacreon wee come into the world one way but we go out of it by a thousand We maruel not that a clock is soone out of â—elter because it coÌ„sisteth of so many slender peeces our bodies staÌ„ding of so many weak iunctures why should we admire the soone decay of it Death knocketh vs on the head like a hammer goeth through the loynes of vs like a sword entangleth euerie one of vs like a snare as a prison keepeth vs forth-comming as a sea ingendreth vs all and it is the tribute money that we must all disburse to nature Wherefore as watchmen are set to those places where they feare the enemie wil come though his comming be vncertaine so because our enemie death will beset our bodies and soules and his comming is dayly to be feared and looked for let vs set good ward and watch about them both that we may be appointed for him when he commeth that wee may not be affraide when wee meete him in the gatâ— The fourth Chapter Shewing the signes of the worlds end THe saying of the Prophet Amos is verie memorable in these wordes Surely the Lorde God will doe nothing but hee reuealeth his secrets vnto his seruants the Prophets Hee brought the Flood vppon the first worlde but they were tolde of it a hundred yeares before by Noah Sodome and Gomorrha and the neighbour Cities were burnt to
with Wo be to great dinners whereat when we haue béene at our full meales we haue full mouthes and powre out wastful words of wind as lustily as we haue powred in wine wantonly Iob â—umpeth with the former declaring that we shall haue it fall by our words This is the portion of the wicked man from God and the heritage that he shall haue of God for his words Christ telleth the wicked seruant that he will conuict and condemne him by his own mouth Cyprian is of that minde that the rich glutton was most tormented in his tongue because in his tongue he most offended Wherefore set we a watch before our tongue and ward we well the doore of our lips that no vnbeseeming word may passe out of it here after to punish vs. A godly man purposing to commit the whole Psalme to memorie and to meditate well vpon it when he had weyed well the first verse of it in these words I said I will take heed to my wayes that I offend not in my tongue found studie enough of that to last him all his life so that he could go no further I would to God we could take out this lesson while we liued we should he highly learned The calling of our brother but Foole in malice of minde is culpable of hell fire so Christ hath concluded Now who is not wrapped in the iudgement by this verdit Thus great is the Haruest of sinne what with thoughts wordes workes which by a sickle from Heauen shall bee cutte downe at the generall iudgement The twelfth Chapter Of the terror and horror of the iudgement day THough alreadie as fit aduantages haue béen offered we haue by diuerse inferences in some sort illustrated the terror of the iudgement yet because it beareth matter of a tractate by it selfe it minisstreth much profitable vse vnto vs we will take it in hand 1 The terrible signes the sorerunners of the iudgement doe signifie sufficiently the outrage thereof Hereupon Eusebius Emissenus maketh this deduction Cum talis futurus sit terror venientis quis poterit terrorem sustinere iudicantis If such be the terror of his comming who shall abide the terror of his iudging These signes haue had a roome by themselues and therefore we heere leade them 2 The matter we haue in hand is euicted by the number without number that is to be iudged I haue sworne by my selfe saith God the worde is gone out of my mouth in righteousnesse and shall not returne that euerie knee shal bow vnto me c. An hoast innumerable as the sands of the sea shall stand before him They shall be called together as soone as an arrow can be deliuered out of a bowe in a moment in the twinckling of an eie at the last trumpet Make this supposall my brethren that al the bodies of men did lye vpon one heap what a ruthfull sight would it make therefore what an obiect and spectacle will that be when so many Myriads of men shal be mustred together in the ayre at the iudgement day When the Kings writ is out for the execution of a noble man ye shall haue huge heapes of people trudging to the execution place but in the great day of iudgement wherein so many kings shall stande out in Chaines and so manie Nobles in Linkes of Iron naked trembling all their proude retinue cut from their heeles to receiue a sentence of a neuer dying death what beholding will there bee of that and how formidable will the face and fashion of the same bee 3 The greatnesse of Gods anger which will bee declared at that day sheweth likewise the great horriblenesse of that day The whole packe of worldly calamities as plagues bloodshed famine rage of waters and such like are but a sparke of that fire of furie that lyeth close in his breast couered as it were with Ashes which will breake out and climbe like the Sun in the morning and consume sinne and sinners like stubble at the dreadfull iudgement The Lorde sent this errant vnto Pharaoh I will at this time send all my plagues vpon thine heart c. And indeede for this cause haue I appointed to shewe my power in thee and to declare my name throughout all the worlde The obstinate sinner in the iudgement shal be the soule of this sentence vpon his vilde head shal be powred the full violl of the red mixt wine of his wrath God will get him a name by him and by their punishment make declaration of the greatnesse of his righteous iudgements The stroke of Gods hand in this life is but the stroke of a rod but the punishment laid vp for the life to come is a seething pot The vision of Ieremie the allusian hereunto giueth vs this comparison The deâ—ection of the Angels from their first estate of Adam out of Paradise the browning of the first world with riuers of water and of Sodom and Gomorrâ—a with riuers of Brimston the slaughter of the first borne of Egypt the plagues brought vpon Pharaoh the blotting out of the memorie of Amalek from among men the destruction brought vpon the kings Og and Schon the kingdoms of Chanaan the ouer whelming of the blasphemer with stones the leprosie wherwith Miriam the sister of Moses was smitteÌ„ the rupture of the earth which cauered Dathan Abiraâ—â— the firâ—â— Serpents that destroied the Israelites the iudgements shewed vpoÌ„ Achan for his sacriledge the sudden fearfull death of Eli the high priest who by a fall froÌ„ his chaire brake his necke the repudiation of Saâ—â— the death that was inflicted vpoÌ„ Vzzah for putting his hand to the Arke the iudgement shewed vpon the disobedient Prophet sent to Ieroboam who was torne by a lion the ouerthrow of an hundred fourescore and fiue thousand in one night of yâ— Assirians by the stroake of an Angell The singuler seueritie shewed vpon a sort of scoffing boyes that beardes the good Prophet torne in peeces by two Beares The Leprosie of Gihezi for his Simonie The slaughter of Goliath the champion by a childe the strange death of Ananias and Zaphira his wife stricken to death by the swoord of Peters lips the moste wretched ende of Herod ouer crowed and ouercame in the height of his pride by the lowest creatures in the earth eaten vp by wormes aliue impatient to stay till hee was laide in his graue These and whatsoeuer else besides these are to bee named are not worth the naming with those deuised torments for the damned which shall bee denounced against them in the iudgement For all these were but roddes held ouer them If thou strikest with a rod saith Salomon he shall not dye A rodde is but for correction it worketh not destruction And a blow giuen by this proceedeth not from hatred but from loue He
that spareth the rod hateth the Childe It is Dauids saying Thy rodde and thy staffe comfort me We are corrected in this world that we might not bee condemned in the world to come These punishments are but wandes to waken vs ouer-whelmed with a dead sléepe of securitie and to rouse vs vp out of the pallet of oâ—r carnall pleasures But there is a scalding kettle for the cursed companie set on the fire against the day of iudgement which is the seething Pot the Prophet before spake of A seething Pot is to boyle flesh in but God hath a capable pot for the nonce to boyle much flesh in it This Pot is Hell pitte and the fire vnder it is the fire of Hell and the seething is their perpetual burning Herevnto alludeth Iob saying Out of his mouth goe lamps and sparkes of fire leape out Out of his Nostrels commeth out smoake as out of a boyling pot or Caldron Thus much also is insinuated by the Psalmist in this wise Our God shal come and not keepe silence a fire shal deuoure before him and a mighty tempest shal be mooued round about him It is fearefull to heaâ—e a terrible thunder but the thunder clappe at that time wil shake and rend the foundation of the heart of which Dauid saith At the voice of thy thunder they are affraid The countenance of the iudge wil be then so grim his lips will be so burning and his face so full of indignation as the verie Saintes will shunne his lookes wherefore Iob saith Who shall hide me till the anger of God passeth ouer And why because there is no sin but God findeth it out An vnskilfull Painter pleaseth himselfe with his picture and workemanship but he that is perfect in that trade findeth manye faultes in it If therefore in that day which is a day of Iustice the elect tremble what shal sinners doe how shal they not be at their wittes end wherefore Malachi crieth out of that day saying Who may abide the day of his comming and who shall endure when he appeareth For he is like a purging fiâ—e and like fullers sope It is a fearefull thing saith the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrewes To fall into the hands of the liuing God To fall into the hands of a dying God if I may so tearme our crucified redeemer there is much hope of comfort to bâ—e had For thou shalt finde his handes fastned to the Crosse so as he cannot smite thee The punishment of this life laide to that which is laide out against the life to come I can liken no better then to the triyall that is made of a Bull before hee is ledde to the liâ—tes to bee baited who onelye is basted a little with a couple of clubs or cudgels but when he coÌ„meth to the combate then clubs Swordes speares are set against him These daies are daies of dalliance wherein a waster or rodde of lâ—uing correction is shaken against vs but at that dismall â—irefull dreadfull day Lances swordes speares and instruments of death will be prepared against the face of all his enemies Then shall the maâ—â—cles and fetters be brought foorth to binde Kinges in chaines and Nobles with linckes of yron I Lictor ligamâ—nus Erecutioner due thine office shall the iudge say Binde him hand and foote and cast him into vtter darknes Now are our feete free and of libertie to run the way of Gods commaundements but then they shall be shackled and be in the stockes and the yron shall enter intâ— our soule Now are our handes the instrument of good works loose but then they shall be pinnioned and they shall not be suffered to worke any longer Wherfore Ioel of this day thus saith Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble for the day of the Lord is come for it is at hand A day of darkenes of blacknes a day of cloudes and obscuritie As he shewed his power iâ— the worldes creation his wisdome in it's gâ—bernation so his iustice shall be manifested in the correction of the wicked in that day of the declaration of his righteous iudgements Then shall a sinner stand tongue tide haue not a word to say as the mute man that came to the marriage without his wedding suite For what should he say for it shall be as Iob saith How should a man compared vnto God bee iustified If hee would dispute with him hee could not answere him one thing of a thousand The discouerie that Ham made of the nakednesse of Noah his Father his irrision and insultation thereupon the sleepe of Noah in his tabernacle his answere when he awaked answereth notably the manner of Gods iudgement with the euent thereof For here Christ their Father is derided by his wicked Sonne Cham I meane the whole progenie of all prophane people who make a mocke of his Crosse and insult ouer his shame The afflicted estate of the Gospell is traduced by them and despised In the meane while Christ who is thus contemned seemeth a sleepe as Noah was as though hee saw not and vnderstood not what a sinner doth For how many Fornicators Adulterers blasphemers hath hee long suffered to escape vnpunished But wil be alwaies sleepe no he wil awake as one out of sleep and like a Giant refreshed with wine wil finite the enemies vpon the hinder partes and put them to a perpetuall shame Then as Noah when he awoke and knew what Cham had doon denounced his iudgement vpon Cham. Cursed shalt thou be So Christ when hee ariseth and perceiueth what the wicked hath done he shall wrap them in the great cursse and say Goe ye cursed into hell fire prepared for the Deuill and his Angells Which is parcell of the forme of the latter sentence of which we list now consequently to intreate The 13. Chapter The forme of the last sentence THe Coppye of the finall iudgement which passeth vppon all is cramplified by Math. in the 25. Chap. at the 34. verse to the end of the Chapt. But before the promulgation of the sentence the parties to bee sentenced are seperated The Church millitant is like a field wherin cockle daruel tares grow vp with good graine It is a draw-net that containeth and bringeth to shoare fishes of all sortes It is compounded of wise and foolish Virgins It is a mixed flock of Sheepe and Goates But in the latter day a diuision shall be made betweene good and bad betweene Cam and Abel Isaac and Ismael Esau and Iacob Cephas and Caiphas Simon Peter and Simon Magus Iude the Apostle and Iudas the Apostata Paul from Elimas the true Christian professor euerie hipocrite and persecutor The Church is commonly taken for euerie companie for the societie of the wicked as where Dauid saith Ecclesiam â—nâ—lignantium odi I haue hated the assemblie of the euill The Scribe and Towne-Clarke of Ephesus who appeased the Garboile that